President Obama Outlines, Defends Gun Control Executive Orders

On Tuesday, President Obama announced and outlined the executive orders that he will sign to unilaterally implement new gun control regulations.

“Each time this comes up, we are fed the excuse that common-sense reforms like background checks might not have stopped the last massacre, or the one before that, or the one before that, so why bother trying. I reject that thinking,” said President Obama in a White House address according to CNN.

He added, “We know we can’t stop every act of violence, every act of evil in the world. But maybe we could try to stop one act of evil, one act of violence.”

Obama’s orders will mandate that anyone who sells firearms at all, including online or at gun shows, obtain a license and perform background checks. The New York Times notes that the White House claims that this rule could even affect individuals selling only one or two guns.

Another order will mandate background checks when guns are purchased through a trust or corporation.

Obama’s executive actions include steps that he claims will improve criminal record sharing between states to beef up the nation’s background check system. He will also hire 200 more ATF agents and over 230 more National Instant Criminal Background Check System examiners to enforce gun regulations.

The Social Security Administration will also begin analyzing recipients of mental health disability payments to determine if their gun rights should be suspended.

Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan issued a statement on the orders and said, “From day one, the president has never respected the right to safe and legal gun ownership that our nation has valued since its founding. He knows full well that the law already says that people who make their living selling firearms must be licensed, regardless of venue. Still, rather than focus on criminals and terrorists, he goes after the most law-abiding of citizens. His words and actions amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty.”

Ryan continued, “His executive order will no doubt be challenged in the courts. Ultimately, everything the president has done can be overturned by a Republican president, which is another reason we must win in November.”

President Obama said in his address, “Congress still needs to act. … Because once Congress gets on board with common-sense gun safety measures, we can reduce gun violence a whole lot. But we also can’t wait. Until we have the Congress that’s in line with the majority of Americans, there are actions within my legal authority that we can take to help reduce gun violence and save more lives.”

The Blaze captured screenshots of a White House fact sheet outlining the executive actions in detail, which can be seen below.

Barry Donegan is a writer, musician, and pro-liberty political activist living in Nashville, TN. Donegan served as Director-at-Large of the Davidson County Republican Party from 2009-2011 and was the Middle Tennessee Regional Coordinator over 30 counties for Ron Paul's 2012 Presidential Campaign. Follow him at facebook.com/barry.donegan and twitter.com/barrydonegan